Collapsible tube and container for the same



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Pdtented June 21, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN E. D. STAFFORD, OF' PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE AND CONTAINER FOR THE SAME.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 21, 1921.

Application filed August 8, 1919. Serial No. 316,144.

T all to hem it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN E. D.

STAFFORD, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of Pittsburgh in the county of Allegheny and State of ennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Tubes and'Containers for the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe inventiom such as will enable others skilled in the 'art' to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to'an improvement in collapsible tube and'container 'for the same. 1 P

Many toilet and medicalpreparations are put up and sold in tubes which are made of flexible or compressible'sheet metal, and are compressed toeject the contents from a nozzle provided thereon, and containers have been provided for holding the tube, the contents being ejected by turning a'slotted key applied'to the end of the compressible'tube. In all such instances however of which I am aware, the containers have been designed to receive the ordinary flexible tube of commerce and in no instance has the container been designed to receive and cooperate with a specially designed collapsible tube.

My invention therefore consists broadly in a collapsible tube closed at one end and open at the other and a two part container the parts of which are adapted to engage the open end of the tube and secure it to the container, the body of the container having" a finger slot therein wherebythe contents of the tube maybe ejected by direct pressure of a finger against the same.

My invention furtherconsists in the parts and combinations of parts as will. be more "fully described and pointed out in the claims. 1 y In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a view partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation of a device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is asimilar view o f a slightly modified construction; Fig. 3is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the collapsible tube shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 4 to 10, inclusive are views ol modified forms of tubes; Fig. 11. is a diagrammatic view showing the; movement of the contents of the tube when pressure is applied to the closed elliptical end of the latter; and Fig. 12 shows the shape assumed. by the elliptical end after the contents have been forced from the same. j

15 represents the container closed at its lower end and open at its u per end, the upper end being thickened and screw threaded as shown for the attachment of the head 16; The closed lower end 15 of the container constitutes the base for supporting it in an upright position and this base is preferably shaped to conform tothe shape of the closed end'of the collapsible tube 17.

T In Fig. 1 I have shown it curved to conform to the curved end of tube 17, l r

This tube 17 is cylindrical in shape and the body thereof is made of a flexible sheet material preferably metal that will readily give under the pressure of the finger so that pressure applied against the outside of the tube willejectthe contents thereof provided I the discharge nozzle to be hereinafter re ferred to be open, It mayfhowever be made of rubber, andas illustrated in Fig. 10 1 have 7 shown a rubber tube circumi erentially corrugated to produce ribs. The surface oithe tube when made of rubber may be plain, or roughened in any way.

This tube 17 i. closed at its lower end and open at its other or upper end. the open end being thickened as shown and turned outwardly to form a flange 18. The enlargement of the tube may beat the outside as shown in Figs. 1. 3, 4 and 6 or at the inside as in Figs. 27-8 and 9. Again th1s enlarge ment or thickening oi the/ tube may be by a separate flanged reinforcing ring 18? as shown in Fig. 5 or by flanged rings within the open end of the tube as shown iu 'l igs.

S and 9. In all forms however the tube 1'? is provided at its open end with an outwardly projecting flange 18 which overlaps the open end of the container 15 and is clamped thereto by the head 16. the dependin place, the tube which may contain a fluid,

paste or any other matter that can be ejected through the nozzle. by pressure aplied ag the body of the tu will be in a'position to discharge directly through the nozzle.

The container isprovided with a finger i Jhoused w-lthin'said container, the said tube slot 22 for the insertion of a finger or fingers of the hand holding the container, so that the body of the tube may be directly en gaged thereby and pressure sufficient applied to' force the "contents through the nozzle. v V In Fig. 1 I have shown the closed end of v the. tube elliptical in shape and the baseor end '15 of the container made concave to conform to the end of the tube.

In Fig. 2, the tube is madc' with a lower open end, as in Fig. '6, the-'said'l'ower end. v

thickened and screw threaded jexternally, a head having adepending flange internally 80 threaded to engage the external threads on thecontainer and also provided witha cen-' trallyl located' discharge nozzle, andfa collapsible tube housed within said container, the said. tubebeing .open at one ,end and 85 being closed by flattening and folding as is done in themanufacture of the tubes nowin common use: Instead. however of. making. them in one continuous piece I may make the closed end sectionseparate and securethem together with their ends abutting as in Figs.

(and 5 oroverlapping as in Fig. 4. .VVhere the tube is closed by flatteningand folding as in Fig. 2, prefer to make the; end closure 15? with an internal gutter to receive. the

. flattened end to support the same when, pressureis applied to the tube. In Figs. 5,

8 and 9 I have shown reinforcing bands se- I/Vhen a tube is formed witha closed end I prefer to inake the latter elliptical shape instead of semispherical for the reason. that with the latter, pressure near the closed end of the tube tends-tocause the formation of. a

pocket whichtr'apssome of .the material at the extreme end when the tube isdeformed by finger pressure against the same, whereas-with the ellipt cal enchpressure on the curved surface operates to expel the contents r in the manner indicated bythe dotted lines. Lin Fig. 11 and when the finger pressure has forced the side of the tube with which the finger is in contact against the. opposite side, i

the movement will have .pushed'the contents ofthe endforwardly into thetube, thus expelling all andflleavin the end curved as illustrated in Fig. 12. .5

The tube issusceptible of many changes -both in construction and material hence I V would have it understood that I do not con.

fine myself to' the details of any of theforms shown but consider myself at: liberty to make such changes as may come within the spirit of the invention above described. Having. fully described my invention what b "Specification in the presence of two subscribing-jwitnesse's. I

I'claim as new andjdesi-re to secure by -Let- V ters Patent is to said openf'eri'd and provided witha centrally located discharge nozzle normally closed'by a screw cap, and a collapsible tube being open at one end, the latter being thickened and flanged outwardly, the. said thickened end of the tube'forming a snug fit with the container at the open end:of the latter, and the flange on said tube overlapping'the freeend of the container. and

. on the tuberestingion the outer open end of 90. V

saidfcontainer and clamped thereto by the head '3. Thecombination of a container open at the end and closed at'the othenenclg exter- V .nally threadedat its open end and provided with :a finger slot 'inits body; a head screwed to said open end and provided witha centrally located discharge. nozzle normally closed by a screw cap-and a collapsibletube housed withinthe container, the saidtube being reinforced andopenat one end, the

latter being flanged. outwardly, the said open end ofthe tube forming a snug fit with the container at the open end ofthe latter, and

the flange on said tube overlapping the open end of the container and clamped thereto: by

the head contacting with the flange. b b j 4. The combination of acontainer closed I at one end and, open at theotherend and having a finger slot. in its Side a. collapsible tube within the" container the .said tube being open at oneend and closed at the other and provided. with av reinforcing flanged,

band at its open end, the on said 'ba-nd adapted to engage a seat on the container,

container and for, clamping the tube in' zlev closed by a cap.

In a testimony whereof, I haveflsigned this 7 Witnesses "and, a head for closing the open end of'the .BnnJAMmfnjD.'ETAEFonDf 

